Detectives have urged Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s former close protection officers to “consider carefully whether anything they saw or heard” may be relevant to their investigation into the convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his associates.

The Metropolitan police said they were working with counterparts in the US to establish whether London airports had been used to “facilitate human trafficking and sexual exploitation”.

On Friday, the force said no new reports of alleged sexual offences had been made since the release of millions of pages of documents related to Epstein by the US Department of Justice.

The Met’s words follow Andrew’s arrest on Thursday on suspicion of misconduct in public office. The former prince was held in custody for 11 hours before being released under investigation.

The force previously said it was looking into allegations Andrew’s protection officers had turned a “blind eye” to his visits to Epstein’s island, Little St James. Police have not uncovered any wrongdoing by close protection officers to date.

Andrew’s primary accuser, Virginia Giuffre, alleged she had sex with him during an orgy with “underage” girls on the Caribbean island. The former prince has previously vehemently denied all allegations made against him.

In a statement issued on Friday, police said: “The Met is identifying and contacting former and serving officers who may have worked closely, in a protection capacity, with Andrew Mountbatten‑Windsor. They have been asked to consider carefully whether anything they saw or heard during that period of service may be relevant to our ongoing reviews and to share any information that could assist us.”

The statement added: “As of today, no new criminal allegations have been made to the Met regarding sexual offences said to have occurred within our jurisdiction. We continue to urge anyone with new or relevant information to come forward. All allegations will be taken seriously and, as with any matter, any information received will be assessed and investigated where appropriate.”

More details soon …